"Folding is a bother." "I can't get it back into its original shape." "I lost its pouch." Shupatto's creation was motivated by hearing people comment about eco bags. Even with the inconvenience they bring, people use them anyway. Our wish was to change that situation.
People refold their eco-bags and follow the creases in the fabric in an attempt to regain their original compact shape. We noticed that non-woven work caps worn for product inspection have strips of accordion-like folds that stretch out to become a cap and return to their original shape when the ends are pulled. We wanted to know if we could use this structure to create a bag that folds up simultaneously, with pleats and creases in the fabric.
Through many prototypes and adjusting various aspects, including structure, size, strength, and weight, we finally found a way to create a bag that is intuitive to use when anyone picks them up for the first time and to turn the bothersome folding action into something exhilarating and fun, as the onomatopoeic Shupatto name suggests.
While the ideas inherent to its creation carry on, Shupatto continues evolving, and its scope has expanded beyond bags.